The present invention relates to tubing systems in which flexible pipes are interconnected by forced insertion of connectors and, in particular, it concerns a device for facilitating manual gripping of pipes and connectors.
It is known to employ systems of flexible plastic pipes with various connectors for drip irrigation. Drip irrigation is of particular importance in hot climates with low rainfall, where water is a valuable commodity. Drip irrigation is widely used in commercial agriculture in many areas of the USA, South America, southern Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, China, India and Australia. The use of drip irrigation systems for public gardens, domestic applications and in hot-houses is also rapidly growing.
For pipes of large diameter or which are used for high pressure, large multi-piece connectors are used. These connectors are relatively expensive and require a series of operations to deploy them. In most cases, attachment of pipes of diameter up to about 25 mm is achieved more cheaply and simply by forcing the end of a pipe onto a simple, one-piece, molded-plastic connector which has a number of barbed ridges which prevent the pipe from slipping off. This attachment operation is typically performed manually by gripping the pipe in one hand, the connector in the other, and pushing them together. The tightness of the fit and the difficulty in gripping the smooth pipe and the small connectors render this operation strenuous and uncomfortable to perform. The operation is repeated very many times during assembly of a typical irrigation system, resulting in excess strain on the workers and frequently leading to formation of blisters or other minor injuries.
In the field of devices and accessories for connection to irrigation systems, there exist many clamping structures configured for permanent clamped connection to an irrigation pipe. None of these, however, is capable of instantly gripping a pipe or connector to facilitate the attachment procedure and then immediately releasing the pipe or connector.
In other fields of technology, it is known to use pipe-gripping pliers, typically with a scissors-type action which have jaws formed for gripping a pipe lying transverse to the length of the scissors arms. The position of the handles of such pliers is far from the pipe itself. As a result, such devices are suited for supporting a pipe during processing such as for welding a section of metal pipe, but are not suitable for applying significant forces along the length of a pipe such as is required during the aforementioned attachment operation for flexible pipes.
There is therefore a need for a device for facilitating manual gripping of pipes and connectors which would be instantly deployable and removable, and which would make easier the operation of attaching pipes and connectors for irrigation systems, and which would increase both the speed and quality of work performed.
The present invention is a device for facilitating manual gripping of pipes and connectors.
According to the teachings of the present invention there is provided, a device for facilitating manual gripping of pipes and connectors comprising: (a) a first element; (b) a second element hingedly attached to the first element at a hinge structure, the hinge structure being configured such that the first element is rotatable relative to the second element about a hinge axis from a closed position through a range of angles no more than 180xc2x0 to a fully open position; and (c) a spring element deployed to bias the first element relative to the second element towards the open position, wherein each of the first element and the second element includes a channel extending substantially parallel to the axis, a plurality of projections being deployed projecting into each channel so as to define gripping features, the channels and the gripping features being formed such that, when the first element and the second element assume the closed position, the gripping features are located so as to grip a substantially cylindrical object of outer diameter D located parallel to the axis between the first element and the second element, and wherein the first element and the second element are configured to provide, respectively, first and second grasp surfaces which, at least in the closed position, lie within a cylindrical volume of diameter 4D circumscribing the channels, the first and second grasp surfaces being shaped such that they can be pressed together by a single hand of a user to close the device around a substantially cylindrical object such that the gripping features grip the object and the grasp surfaces substantially circumscribe the object.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the second element is substantially a mirror image of the first element.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the projections are implemented as projecting ridges extending around at least part of the channels in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis, the projecting ridges being spaced apart along the axis.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the channels extend across an entire dimension of the first and the second elements from a first edge to a second edge along a length L, a portion of the channels which lies within at least about 10 percent of length L from the first edge being formed such that, when the first element and the second element assume the closed position, the channels accommodate a cylindrical element of diameter at least 15 percent greater than D.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the first and the second elements each further include a lateral recess configured such that, when the first element and the second element assume the closed position, the lateral recesses form a lateral opening of diameter at least 15 percent greater than D interconnecting with the channels.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the first and the second elements each further include a lateral recess configured such that, when the first element and the second element assume the closed position, the lateral recesses form a lateral opening of diameter approximately equal to D interconnecting with the channels.
According to a further feature of the present invention, there is also provided a detachable hole puncher element formed with at least one blade configured for forming a hole through a plastic wall of a pipe, the hole puncher element and the first and second elements being formed with complementary engagement features configured such that the hole puncher element releasably engages the first and second elements so as to retain the first and second elements in the closed position to provide a handle to facilitate operation of the hole puncher element.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the hole puncher element is configured to engage the first and second elements from either of two directions.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the first and the second elements are each formed primarily from a molded plastic material.
According to a further feature of the present invention, each of the first and the second elements is formed with a plurality of drainage holes connecting between the channel and an external surface of the element.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the hinge structure is configured such that the first element is rotatable relative to the second element about the hinge axis from the closed position through a range of angles no more than 90xc2x0 to the fully open position.